Miral's Daddy
by Diane Klepper
Summary: Tom has to tell his daughter, Miral about his past.


Miral's Daddy  
  
By Diane Klepper   
  
(Author's Note: This story takes place five years after Voyager returns to Earth. The   
name of Tom's sisters Kathleen and Moira was taken from Jeri Taylor's novel Pathways.   
Since Tom's mother was never given an official name I decided to use the name Maggie.   
The characters belong to Paramount and I'm just borrowing them.)  
  
Tom Paris took the big bowl of tomato soup out of the replicator and placed in the   
middle of the already set table. He smiled at the three place setting knowing that in a few   
months there would be another Paris. The Doctor just told them last week that B'Elanna   
was pregnant again and Tom was looking forward to having another child. Tom always   
wanted to give Miral a sibling because he liked growing up with two older sisters. All of   
Tom's childhood memories weren't pleasant but the times he spent with his sisters Moira   
and Kathleen were some of his happiest memories. Tom also felt that B'Elanna's   
childhood would not of been as lonely if she had a sibling with the same mixed heritage   
as she to grow up with.   
  
Tom looked around his house and smiled. For the first time in his life Tom felt   
like he had a real home. He went straight from his father's house to Starfleet Academy   
and then to his first mission on the Exeter. Then after Caldik Prime he wandered around   
for a few months until he joined the Maquis and then within a few weeks of joining the   
Maquis he ended up in the New Zealand Penal Colony. Until he was on Voyager he   
never felt like he belonged anyway. His cabin on Voyager, even though at times it made   
his claustrophobia act up still felt like his first real home and even more so when   
B'Elanna moved in. The idea of living there with a baby may of seemed a little cramped   
to him, but as soon as Tom found out Miral was on the way he couldn't wait to meet his   
precious little girl.   
  
He looked around the living room and picked up a few of Miral's dolls that she   
was playing with before breakfast that was still lying on the floor. Miral tended to leave   
her stuff lying around just like B'Elanna often did but Tom didn't mind cleaning up after   
them. He often felt that a home was more lived in if there was a little clutter. The   
Admiral's home had to always be spotless because you never knew when an important   
Federation official or a fellow Starfleet officer would stop in unannounced to discuss   
something with the Admiral. Tom walked to Miral's room and put the dolls in the open   
toy box and closed the lid. He glanced at the walls and saw some of his little girl's latest   
artistic creations. One crayoned picture has Tom flying Voyager and another picture had   
B'Elanna working on fixing an engine with a tool in each hand and a growl on her face.   
Tom laughed at that picture thinking about her accurate Miral's drawing was of her   
mother when she was in the middle of a difficult repair job.   
  
Tom walked out of Miral's room and closed the door behind him. He looked up at   
the old grandfather clock that his parents gave them for their last anniversary and glanced   
at the time knowing that B'Elanna and Miral would be home soon. They took turns   
picking Miral up from after-school. Tom had promised himself as soon as he knew that   
Miral was coming that he would be a hands on father. He resented the times his father   
spent away from home when he was small and he promised himself he would not do that   
to his own child. His job teaching at the Academy gave him the chance to be home every   
night with Miral. BE'lanna's work schedule was a little more hectic since she joined the   
design team to build a new prototype ship but she tried to make it home to dinner as   
much as she could.   
  
Just then the door opened and Miral ran through the dinning room and straight to   
her room without saying a word. Tom turned to face B'Elanna and saw her frowning.   
"What's wrong?"  
  
B'Elanna walked over to her husband, "One of the boys in Miral's class told her   
that you was a bad person because you were in a penal colony before you came on   
Voyager. Her teacher Mrs. Murphy said that she punched the boy out and then ran into   
the corner and started crying."  
  
Tom gave a little smirk. "I see Miral has gotten your temper."  
  
B'Elanna frowned, "Tom…this is not funny. Miral is very upset. She barely said   
three words to me all the way home. We should of told her about our pasts."  
  
Tom started pacing back and forth. "I know, but the time never seemed to be   
right. I just want my little girl to be proud of me."  
  
B'Elanna smiled at him. "She will be proud of you. She will be proud of the way   
that you turned your life around."  
  
"When I was Miral's age I was so proud of my Dad. I wanted to be just like him I   
have done so many dumb things before I was on Voyager. I made an error that caused an   
accident that killed three people. I lied about the accident…I joined the Maquis."  
  
"Hey watch it Flyboy…I joined the Maquis too."  
  
Tom gave her a little smirk. "Yeah but you joined for all the right reasons. I   
joined to pay my bar tab."  
  
"Tom you're a different person now. Everyone makes mistakes. Miral knows   
what kind of man you are. She just needs to hear the story from you."  
  
Tom smiled at his wife. "Yeah your right." He patted her still flat stomach. "I   
guess I have to tell our new baby the story when he or she is old enough to understand."  
  
B'Elanna smiled at him and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. "Just think of this as   
practice for the new one." B'Elanna then smirked at her the husband. "By the way   
weren't you suppose to carry the next one?"  
  
Tom gave his wife a small laugh. "I call the Doc tomorrow. I ask him to transport   
the baby to me."  
  
B'Elanna punched him in the shoulder gently, "Don't you dare. The baby is   
staying right where she or he is. Want me to come in with you?"  
  
Tom kissed B'Elanna on her lips and said, "No I think I can handle this alone."  
  
Tom walked over to Miral's bedroom and knocked on the door. Miral small voice   
said, "Go away."  
  
Tom frowned, "Miral…it's Daddy. Sweetie, can I come in. I just want to talk."  
  
After a few seconds of silence she replied. "Okay."  
  
Tom walked into the bedroom and found Miral sitting on the bed clutching her   
two most cherished possessions. Her pink teddy- bear which her Grandpa Owen and   
Grandma Maggie gave her when Voyager first came home and her baby blanket that   
Aunt Kathryn made her. Tom walked over to the bed and sat next to his daughter. Miral   
climbed into her father's lap. Tom hugged his daughter and said, "Mommy told me what   
happened in school today. You know it's wrong to hit."  
  
Miral turned to face her father with blue eyes identical to his own. "But Daddy   
Billy said means things about you. He said you were in a penal colony before you were   
on Voyager. He said you were a bad man because you were in jail. He was lying right   
Daddy."  
  
Tom looked at his daughter and said in a soft voice. "Miral…Billy wasn't lying.   
Before I was on Voyager I was in a penal colony. Your Aunt Kathryn got me out of   
prison to go on a mission to the Badlands."  
  
Miral frowned, "Daddy were a bad person? Mrs. Murphy says only bad people go   
to prison."  
  
Tom hugged Miral tightly, "No sweetheart…I wasn't a bad person. I made some   
mistakes and I was being punished for them."  
  
With a confused look on her face Miral asked, "Daddy…what kind of mistakes   
did you make?"  
  
Tom licked his dry lips. "I was flying a shuttle and I made an error while I was   
flying and three people who were close friends of mine died."  
  
"But Daddy if it was an accident couldn't you just say you were sorry. Yesterday   
when I spilled my milk at breakfast I said I was sorry and Mommy told me it was okay   
because it was only an accident and then I helped Mommy clean it up."  
  
"Miral it wasn't just the accident…I lied about the accident. I told everyone one   
of my friends made the mistake."  
  
"But Daddy…lying is wrong. Grandpa Owen says the first duty of every Starfleet   
officer is to tell the truth."  
  
"It is Miral… I got scared and I lied. But I knew what I did was wrong so I told   
everyone the truth about the accident."  
  
"Then everybody forgave you?"  
  
"No, Miral…sometimes telling the truth is not enough. I hurt a lot of people with   
my lie. I hurt the families of my friends and I hurt your Grandpa Owen really badly."  
  
"Did Grandpa Owen yell at you?"  
  
"No he didn't…he just told me that he was very disappointed in me." Tom's mind   
flashed back to the last time he talked face to face with his father before Voyager   
returned home:   
  
  
Tom entered his parents home through the back door. He thought that nobody   
would be home because it was mid-afternoon and his father would be at work and his   
mother would be at one of the many clubs she was a member of.  
  
Tom walked over to the kitchen table and stared at the three pads in his hand. He   
had used the last of his savings to buy a ticket to the outer reaches of the Alpha Quadrant   
where he was hoping he could get work as a pilot. He was hoping to get far enough away   
where nobody ever heard the name Tom Paris.  
  
He was planning on just dropping off the padds with the goodbye messages to his   
mother and sisters Kathleen and Moira and then getting out of the house as fast as he   
could. He was about to leave when he head footsteps and then turned to face Admiral   
Owen Paris.  
  
Angrily Owen said, "Thomas what are you doing here…You are no longer   
welcomed in this house."  
  
Tom looked at his father and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. "I know that   
sir…I just had to leave some goodbye messages to Mom and to my sisters."  
  
"You never told me why?"  
  
"Why what?"  
  
Owen face was getting red, "Why did you lie? …For seven generations the name   
Paris has meant something in Starfleet…"  
  
Angrily Tom said, "That's it…you never care about me…all I was to you was   
someone to carry on the great name of Paris."  
  
"Thomas…"  
  
"No Dad…for once you will listen to me. All I was to you was a trophy. I   
remember when I first learned to fly you use to show me off to all you Starfleet   
friends…Look at my Thomas…he was born to fly…just what until he gets into   
Starfleet…he will be Admiral before you know it."  
  
"Thomas I wanted the best for you…what's wrong with that?"  
  
"Nothing…except you never asked me what I wanted…it was always what you   
wanted…Well Admiral now you will get your way…I'm leaving Earth and hopefully I   
won't be an embarrassment to you anymore."  
  
"Thomas…what should I tell your mother?"  
  
"Everything I want her to know is in the padd. Sir I would appreciate it if you   
make sure Mom and Kathleen and Moira gets them…I couldn't leave Earth without   
saying goodbye to them…I have a message for you on Mom's padd…if you don't want   
to read it I'll understand."   
  
"Thomas…I don't know what to say?"  
  
Tom placed the three pads on the kitchen table. "Goodbye…Dad…have a good   
life."  
  
  
Tom shook his head to escape from the memories and he saw Miral staring at him   
with a tranquil look on her face. He smiled at his little girl and said, "I think I just zoned   
out for a few minutes."   
  
Miral smiled at him. "That's okay Daddy…Mommy gets that same look on her   
face whenever she is thinking about an important engineering problem."   
  
Tom smiled at his daughter and kissed her on her forehead ridges.   
  
Miral smiled at him. "That tickles…Mommy says whenever you kiss her on her   
ridges it makes her feel special."  
  
"Your Mommy is special…and so are you."  
  
Miral smiled at her father and hugged him tightly. She was about to jump off his   
lap when a new thought entered her mind. "Daddy where you in jail because you lied?"  
  
"No I was in jail because I was a member of the Marquis"  
  
"But Daddy…Mommy says that she and Uncle Chakotay were members of the   
Marquis. Are they going to have to go to prison too?"  
  
"No sweetie…your Mommy and all the rest of the Maquis were pardoned by   
Starfleet."  
  
"What does pardoned mean?"  
  
"It means they don't have to go to jail."  
  
Miral smiled. "I'm glad Mommy didn't have to go to jail. I would missed her."  
  
"Me too Miral.".  
  
"Daddy what should I say to Billy tomorrow if he says that you are a bad person   
because you went to jail."  
  
Tom hugged Miral and smiled, "You tell Billy that your Daddy can't be bad   
because he is the luckiest man in the universe because he has you and your Mommy to   
love him."  
  
Miral hugged her father back, "I love you Daddy and I don't care what Billy   
says…you're the world's best Daddy and a good person too."  
  
Tom wrapped Miral up in his arms and stood up holding his daughter closely to   
his chest. "I love you Miral…ready for dinner."  
  
"Yeah Daddy…can I have some leola root pudding for desert."  
  
Tom laughed and said, "Miral I think your Mommy had too much leola root when   
she was pregnant with you."  
  
Miral looked confused, "But Daddy I like leola root pudding."  
  
Tom smiled, "I know sweetie…one leola root pudding coming up for desert." 


End file.
